DEFYING NATURE
August 14, 2024
THE AUTO BUILDER
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IN ARM’S WAY
Maximum’s design replaces the upper control arms with a torque arm and a Panhard rod, each of which has only one job rather than two. The Panhard rod centers the axle from side to side, and the torque arm controls pinion angle. Assigning each of these duties to separate components allows each piece to be better at its one job than the stock upper control arms are at either job. The torque arm is essentially a three-link design, and Maximum claims that it improves traction so much that after installation you may have to alter your sway bars to prevent understeer.
Pyramid Optimized Design: The Builder’s Secret Weapon
When a build needs to go from “cool idea” to “everyone’s talking about this,” the pros call Pyramid Optimized Design. They’re the team behind some of the most talked-about show cars on the planet — using custom automotive design services to transform raw ideas into fully engineered, show-winning, road-ready components. Pyramid doesn’t just make parts. They bring visions to life, concept to completion.
Into the Blue
There are a lot of reasons why people choose to build and drive the cars they do. Most of the time, it is because a particular car was one that they wanted or liked when they were young, and such is the case with Allen Bernd and this ’62 Chevy Impala SS.
Spotlighter
Electrified
Installing Electric-Life's Power Window Kit
Author
Robert Benner
Photography by Chris Fesler
If you are like many of us who have at one time or another opted for a less expensive vehicle to build, then this how-to will be of interest to you. At the cost of certain features or creature comfort conveniences mundane items like power windows and locks we often begin with what may be considered a strippo model or a basic transportation car that is … well, available. These cars can, after all, make for a great foundation that can easily be personalized, just like we are doing here.
If you are unfortunate enough to own such a vehicle like the Civic DX, which never offered power windows then the thought of adding them has no doubt crossed your mind. The notion that power windows would make your vehicle just a little bit nicer is a sound one and that is where an Electric-Life power window kit comes into play.
Electric-Life offers several different types of electric window kits, along with a full range of accessories for just these types of cars. And how about this little-known fact: Electric-Life power window systems are standard equipment on all Ferraris. So, with a set, you could say that you have the same!
In addition to the typical universal-style power window kits, Electric-Life manufactures a large number of vehicle-specific kits that completely replace the manual window regulator and can also be used to replace a faulty OEM power window regulator. In our case, for the Õ00 Honda Civic, Electric-Life builds a complete, custom-fit, bolt-in window kit. Along with the window kit, a complete switch kit and wiring harness were also obtained from Electric-Life.
To do the job right and to get the lowdown for this how-to, we took the car and the kit down to Unique Car Audio in Gilbert, Arizona, to document the installation. Check out the following photos and see if you feel this is something you can do in your backyard to add a bit of convenience to your ride.
Another thing: when customizing the interior of your car, it is often easier to replace the existing window mechanisms and include a power set for that custom touch. Either way, this is an inexpensive way to add a bit of class to that tuner car of yours.
1. Here is the door before we started with the power conversion. Soon the manual crank will be gone and the pure convenience of power will take its place.
2. Before the door panel could be removed, the door pull was unscrewed and removed from the door.
3. The panel behind the door handle needed to be removed as well.
4. The clip that secures the window crank was removed and discarded.
5. Finally, the speaker grille was removed, as well as the screws that secure the door panel behind it.
6. The door panel was removed by pulling it away at the bottom and lifting up to clear the inner door panel structure.
7. Here you can see the factory manual window regulator and the four bolts that secure it to the door.
8. The four bolts around the crank were removed, along with two bolts that secured the bottom of the regulator to the door.
9. A pair of bolts secures the window glass to the regulator. Both of these were removed and the glass lifted up.
10. A few strips of masking tape hold the window in its up position so it will not interfere with the removal and installation of the window regulators.
11. With everything disconnected, the manual window regulator was removed through the large hole in the door and set aside.
12. Here you can see the Electric-Life electric regulator (bottom) and manual regulator (top).
13. Before installing the new electric window regulator, the wiring was plugged into the motor, as it is difficult to access once the regulator is in the door. (Trust us!)
14. The new regulator is simply fit into the door through the same hole that the manual regulator was removed from.
15. The new unit was test-fit before bolting on the screws.
16A,B. Using factory holes and the included hardware, the power regulator was secured to the door.
17. Next, the window was dropped back into position and secured to the regulator using the factory hardware.
18. Since our switches were going to be mounted in the center console, only two wires were run into each door. These wires were connected to the leads coming from the window motors.
19. To supply power to the system, the wiring harness was tapped into the ignition wiring beneath the dashboard.
20. The ground wire was secured to the metal chassis of the Honda, also beneath the dash.
21. With the wiring connections completed, the lower dash panel was reinstalled and all wiring was run through the center console.
22. The loose ends of the wiring were run up through the factory opening in the center console and through the Electric-Life switch plate.
23. Quick disconnects were added to the switch wiring to allow them to be removed in the future, if needed.
24. The switches were plugged into the wiring, making sure to test the polarity of the motors to see if it was correct.
25. With the wiring connected, the switches were snapped into place.
26. The finished switches fit perfectly into the blank spots in the Honda center console.
27. With the window crank removed, the opening in the door panel was filled with fiberglass and the panel was re-covered with matching suede.
ARTICLE SOURCES
Electric-Life Inc.
5990 Northwest Hwy.
Chicago, IL 60631
800/548-2168
Unique Car Audio
1720 W. Elliot Rd., Ste. C
Gilbert, AZ 85233
480/926-1448
